Chapter Summaries

Parents stormed Fourth Middle School to demand compensation, trapping Xie Huilan and city officials inside the crowd. When Dong Xuebin saw his pregnant wife surrounded, he entered the school, and the parents fell silent and parted in fear as they recognized him.

• Parents overwhelmed the school guards and ignored Xie Huilan’s calls to calm down, with apparent hired agitators urging them to rush inside.
• The parents broke onto campus and surrounded Xie Huilan, Liao Yimin, and school leaders while police outside called for backup.
• Xie Huilan told the principal to keep students inside and have teachers calm them as the crowd’s standoff with officials continued.
• Dong Xuebin saw Xie Huilan trapped and walked through the gate toward the crowd despite officers trying to stop him.
• Police and parents recognized Dong Xuebin and fell silent, opening a path as he approached.

Dong Xuebin secretly flew from Capital City to find Zhang Longjuan, whom he feared was in trouble. He reached an unfamiliar city near the airport and headed toward her hotel despite his injuries.

• Dong Xuebin reunited at Capital Airport with Sun Zhuang and Tan Limei, his old colleagues, who gave him the travel arrangements they had secured.
• Dong Xuebin refused to take money from Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang, asked them to keep his departure secret, and hurried through security for the last flight.
• Dong Xuebin boarded the plane with difficulty because of his injuries and tried calling Zhang Longjuan, but her phone was off.
• After landing shortly before one in the morning, Dong Xuebin asked for directions and limped toward the hotel.
• Dong Xuebin reflected that he had told Hui Lan, Mom, Xu Yan, and the others he was returning to Capital City for treatment, but had traveled to help Zhang Longjuan out of gratitude.

After Peng Kun arranged for Nanqi Morning News to publish a one-sided account of the Willow Lane Alley clash, Dong Xuebin faced public backlash and learned the district might punish him. He grew furious and prepared to fight back against anyone who blamed him.

• Dong Xuebin confirmed with Peng Gang that ten illegal merchants had been arrested and the unrest had stopped.
• Peng Kun called a Nanqi Morning News contact after worrying that the clash could jeopardize his upcoming transfer.
• Reporter Liu Gang accused Dong Xuebin's office of injuring more than twenty citizens, and Dong ended the call after challenging his account.
• Nanqi Morning News published Liu Gang's report, omitting the merchants' attack and portraying Guangming Street Office staff as aggressors.
• Zhou Yanru and Qu Yiqiang condemned the report, and Qu recalled seeing Peng Kun dine with newspaper executives.
• Dong Xuebin learned the district might punish him, then vowed not to let his opponents get away with it.

Dong Xuebin saw a young driver harass Yu Meixia outside the bus station, then later found the same man attacking Guo Mingfeng on a dark road. The chapter ended with Guo Mingfeng knocked to the ground as Dong Xuebin watched nearby.

• Dong Xuebin saw a young man whistle at Yu Meixia outside the bus station and got out to confront him, but Yu Meixia persuaded him not to give chase.
• Yu Meixia boarded a bus to Yantai County, and Dong Xuebin drove back toward his dormitory.
• Dong Xuebin spotted the same young man arguing with Guo Mingfeng at a poorly lit intersection.
• The young man slapped Guo Mingfeng and beat him until he fell to the ground.

Dong Xuebin stayed in the Capital City after the theft of Japan’s national treasure, enjoying Han Jing’s approval and discussing marriage with Xie Huilan. He learned that Mu Zhengzhong had put Sesshu’s Splashed Ink Landscape on display, drawing a huge media crowd, and stayed away from the museum.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan, who encouraged him to complete his Investment Task and said her bed was waiting for him.
• Dong Xuebin told the Investment Bureau and Zhao Xinglong that he needed three to five days off while he waited to see how the stolen treasure affair developed.
• Han Jing invited Dong Xuebin to breakfast, thanked him for restoring the Bodhisattva Statue, and left for a charity event.
• Feng Xueliang recognized Dong Xuebin outside the Standing Committee Family Compound and invited him to visit with Xie Huilan.
• Dong Xuebin learned that Qu Yunxuan and Mother Qu had gone to Jiangsu and Zhejiang for a week, then called Mu Zhengzhong about the painting.
• Mu Zhengzhong told Dong Xuebin that Sesshu’s Splashed Ink Landscape was already on display, and Dong found reporters and news crews swarming the museum.

After Teacher Jiang left for Capital City, Dong Xuebin planned to drive back to Fenzhou City and learned that Xie Huilan might receive another promotion. The chapter ended with him setting off home to meet his wife.

• Dong Xuebin found Teacher Jiang gone and called her, learning she had taken a long-distance bus back to Capital City.
• Teacher Jiang invited Dong Xuebin to Lian University’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, and he promised to attend.
• Dong Xuebin fell asleep again in Teacher Jiang’s bed after she left.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin that she might transfer to another city and become its Acting Mayor or Party Secretary after giving birth and recovering.
• Dong Xuebin said he would take on anyone who opposed Xie Huilan’s advancement, then set off for home.

Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan played a card game in which the loser had to remove clothing, and Xie Huilan used her memory and teasing to gain the upper hand. After trading wins, Dong Xuebin ended up in long underwear and vowed to win the next round.

• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan agreed to play Pulling the Big Cart, with the loser taking off clothing.
• Xie Huilan won the first round, and Dong Xuebin removed his jacket after arguing that shoes and socks did not count.
• Dong Xuebin won the second round and chose Xie Huilan's blouse, which she removed to reveal a thin undershirt beneath it.
• Xie Huilan won the third round and demanded that Dong Xuebin remove his pants.
• Dong Xuebin refused to strip completely, so he removed his outer shirt and pants, leaving himself in long underwear.

After returning from the sea, Dong Xuebin spent several days handling funeral-related visits and catching up with family. Sun Shuli then told him that the county had appointed him Director of the Investment Bureau while he was presumed dead, and Dong accepted the arrangement without resentment.

• Za Xiaoping stayed with Dong Xuebin at home, and they talked about his recovery and the people who had worried about him.
• Dong Xuebin explained that he had spent the past few days visiting relatives, leaders, and colleagues, and that he had also arranged replacements for his identification and bank cards.
• Sun Shuli arrived with his wife to visit Dong Xuebin, bringing supplements.
• Sun Shuli revealed that the county Standing Committee had appointed him Director of the Investment Bureau ten days after the plane crash.
• Sun Shuli offered to return the directorship, but Dong Xuebin told him to keep working and said he had no objection to the appointment.

Zhang Longjuan introduced a delegation of wealthy foreign investors to Meihe City and said they would inspect the area on their own. The chapter ended with her revealing that Dong Xuebin was the friend who had invited her, surprising the officials around him.

• Zhang Longjuan arrived and took over introducing the foreign investors after the provincial leader left.
• Zhang Longjuan introduced the delegation’s shareholders and investment consultants, then offered to help with their inspection and possible investment.
• Dong Xuebin declined Zheng Dayou’s suggestion to approach the investors, and Zhenshui County’s officials stayed back.
• Zhang Longjuan told Hua Li and Lu Weiguo that she had come at a friend’s invitation and wanted to inspect independently.
• Zhang Longjuan spotted Dong Xuebin, walked over, and greeted him with a hug as the other officials stared.

Dong Xuebin defended Xie Jing and agreed to help Sun Kai find a job despite Xie Huilan's objections. Xie Jing left reassured, while Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan ended the night teasing each other about who had pursued whom.

• Xie Huilan confronted Xie Jing about asking Dong Xuebin to help Sun Kai and argued that Sun Kai was not right for her.
• Xie Jing compared her situation to Xie Huilan's past relationship with Dong Xuebin, and Dong Xuebin sided with Xie Jing.
• Dong Xuebin promised Xie Jing he would handle Sun Kai's job, while urging her to understand her family's concerns and think carefully about marriage.
• Xie Jing thanked Dong Xuebin and returned to rest after accepting his advice.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin to sleep on the sofa, then let him join her after he admitted he had pursued her.

Dong Xuebin spent a day growing closer to Qu Yunxuan, holding her hand and asking whether they could date. Qu Yunxuan avoided giving him a clear answer but took his hand herself, leaving him hopeful about their relationship.

• Dong Xuebin held Qu Yunxuan’s hand while they watched a horror movie, and she scolded him for smiling at the deaths.
• Dong Xuebin suggested that they eat out, but Qu Yunxuan insisted they cook at home to save money.
• While they prepared vegetables, Dong Xuebin asked Qu Yunxuan to date him, and she warned him about their age difference and their mothers’ likely objections.
• Dong Xuebin sulked as he chopped vegetables, so Qu Yunxuan took his hand and asked whether he could cut properly now.

Dong Xuebin impressed everyone at the shooting range, then learned that fugitive Wu Dagang might be seeking revenge in Yantai County. He quarreled with Xie Huilan over her plans to have dinner with Wei Nan, but the next morning he received shocking news that she was in trouble and rushed out to find her.

• Dong Xuebin used Back to score five perfect tens at a hundred-meter target, stunning Xie Huilan, Wei Nan, and the others.
• Hu Silian handed Xie Huilan an important call, and Xie Huilan left the shooting range; later, Deputy Captain Feng warned Dong Xuebin that fugitive Wu Dagang might be in Yantai County to avenge his brother.
• Dong Xuebin urged the police to protect his family and relatives, then focused on repairing his relationship with Xie Huilan.
• Dong Xuebin sneaked into Xie Huilan's apartment and tried to reconcile, but she rejected him and said she was considering Wei Nan.
• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan argued, exchanged angry parting words, and he left after returning her keys.
• The next morning, Dong Xuebin learned that Xie Huilan was in trouble and raced out in his car.

Dong Xuebin used BACK to discover that a street-stall bowl was genuine Qing Qianlong imperial porcelain, then sold it for seven hundred thousand yuan and reached two million in savings. He told Qu Yunxuan he would entrust her with their money, while Xie Huilan learned how skilled he was at spotting antiques.

• Xie Huilan took Dong Xuebin to Liulichang, bought him a two-thousand-yuan cricket gourd, and browsed antique stalls with him.
• After failing to identify a blue-and-white bowl, Dong Xuebin smashed it to inspect its clay body, confirmed it was genuine, and used BACK to return to the moment before Xie Huilan left.
• Dong Xuebin bought the bowl for forty-two thousand yuan and took it with Xie Huilan to Rongbaozhai for authentication.
• Rongbaozhai experts confirmed the bowl was valuable, and Dong Xuebin sold it for seven hundred thousand yuan after haggling.
• Dong Xuebin deposited the check, realized his assets totaled two million yuan, and told Qu Yunxuan he would transfer his money to her to manage.

Dong Xuebin reunited with Su Jia at Yang Zhaode’s home and learned that their families were becoming relatives. After noticing Yang Zhaofen’s coolness toward his mother, he helped Luan Xiaoping choose a generous first-meeting gift, and the visit ended with the families warming to one another.

• Dong Xuebin arrived at Yang Zhaode’s home and discovered that Su Jia was Yang Zhaode’s niece and his future cousin.
• Dong Xuebin and Su Jia chatted while preparing lunch, and Luan Xiaoping hosted Yang Zhaofen and Su Zhongyi in the living room.
• Dong Xuebin noticed Yang Zhaofen’s distant manner toward Luan Xiaoping and learned his mother wanted money for Su Jia’s first-meeting gift.
• Dong Xuebin gave Luan Xiaoping his valuable jadeite ring to present to Su Jia, reassuring her that their family was well-off.
• Luan Xiaoping gave Su Jia the ring, which Su Jia accepted after recognizing its value, and Yang Zhaofen’s attitude toward Luan Xiaoping softened.

Dong Xuebin discovered that Reverse rewound a single designated object rather than the whole world, and found that its limited energy could send that object far back in time. After using nearly all his remaining seconds on a pomegranate, he left with proof that Reverse could reverse months of an object's history.

• After a cup fell, Dong Xuebin saw it reassemble intact and realized Reverse had restored the cup to its unbroken state.
• After Zhou Ynru left, Dong Xuebin smashed a porcelain cup and focused on its fragments until Reverse fused them back together.
• Dong Xuebin questioned why Reverse consumed so much time to restore one object, then remembered that the glass cup had reassembled in less than a second despite being broken several seconds earlier.
• Dong Xuebin used Reverse on a rotten pomegranate, watched it become ripe and then unripe, and discovered that it had rewound months before his remaining time ran out.

Dong Xuebin confronted the casino after its staff refused him entry, but they apologized and offered him money instead of risking a conflict. He rejected the cash, accepted their apology, and left with his companions, whose relatives no longer underestimated him.

• The casino's person in charge apologized to Dong Xuebin and offered him a case containing one hundred thousand U.S. dollars.
• Dong Xuebin refused the money and asked only for an apology for being denied the chance to look around the casino.
• Dong Xuebin accepted the apology, said he was giving the casino face, and left with Auntie Zhang, Sister Chen, Aunt Zhou, and the others.
• Outside the casino, Dong Xuebin joked about being too handsome to be welcomed, then claimed the casino had mistaken him for someone else.
• Young Master Song and the other officials' relatives suspected Dong Xuebin had frightened the casino with his reputation and stopped underestimating him.

After Guo Mingfeng’s testimony left Dong Xuebin facing arrest, Dong Xuebin visited Xue Qingrong and Xue Xiaoliang in the hospital to offer a private settlement. Xue Qingrong refused, and Dong Xuebin ended the meeting with a warning, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• News spread at the Guangming Street Office that Dong Xuebin would be arrested after Guo Mingfeng testified against him, prompting Zhou Yanru and Qu Yiqiang to condemn Guo and worry about Dong.
• Dong Xuebin calmly told Zhou Yanru and Qu Yiqiang to return to work as officers escorted him from the compound.
• Dong Xuebin asked the officers to take him to the District Second Hospital before going to the subbureau, and they agreed.
• At the hospital, Xue Qingrong and Xue Xiaoliang rejected Dong Xuebin’s offer to settle privately, with Xue Xiaoliang demanding compensation and Xue Qingrong insisting Dong face criminal liability.
• Dong Xuebin warned Xue Qingrong and Xue Xiaoliang that they would regret refusing his offer.

After Sun Kai survived surgery, Dong Xuebin stayed at the hospital while his family and colleagues argued with Jingcheng Daily reporters who criticized Sun's past teaching methods. Dong recognized the reporters from a newspaper he had once smashed up, and his reputation drove them away.

• Dong Xuebin urged Sun Kai's exhausted family to rest and promised to stay nearby in case Sun Kai's condition worsened.
• Dong Xuebin and the others found Sun Kai's teachers and students confronting Jingcheng Daily reporters over their questions about Sun's past discipline of students.
• Xia Yanzhen asked the reporters to leave, but they insisted they needed to investigate Sun Kai more thoroughly.
• Dong Xuebin offered to answer the reporters' questions, and the reporters recognized him and retreated after he ordered them to leave.
• Dong Xuebin told the astonished group that he had smashed up the newspaper before.

Qu Yunxuan resigned from the newspaper office after Dong Xuebin helped her stand up to Gong Wei, and the two grew closer as she let him tend to her injury. When Mother Qu arrived unexpectedly, Dong Xuebin hid under the bed, and Qu Yunxuan let him stay the night in her bed to avoid being discovered.

• Qu Yunxuan told Dong Xuebin she had resigned and described how Gong Wei had been reassigned to operate elevators after the newspaper office scandal.
• Qu Yunxuan thanked Dong Xuebin for helping her and asked him to apply ointment to the injury on her back.
• Dong Xuebin fetched Qu Yunxuan’s underwear and treated her wound, and she kissed him before telling him to go home.
• Mother Qu arrived while Qu Yunxuan was still undressed, so Qu Yunxuan pushed Dong Xuebin under the bed and told her mother she had hurt her back.
• Qu Yunxuan’s mother decided to sleep over, so Qu Yunxuan let Dong Xuebin share her bed under a thick quilt.

Trapped in the freezing airplane cargo hold, Dong Xuebin kept Zhong Lizhen warm with his body while they waited for the flight to reach Capital Airport. The chapter ended with Zhong Lizhen returning from relieving herself and settling back onto his lap for warmth.

• Dong Xuebin warmed Zhong Lizhen by holding her, rubbing her legs and feet, and letting her put her freezing hands inside his shirt.
• Zhong Lizhen gradually stopped shivering and thanked Dong Xuebin as they remained pressed together in the cargo hold.
• After several hours, Zhong Lizhen told Dong Xuebin she needed to use the restroom, though the cargo hold had none.
• Zhong Lizhen felt her way through the dark, relieved herself, and returned to Dong Xuebin.
• Dong Xuebin placed Zhong Lizhen back on his lap, and she slipped her hands inside his clothes again to warm them.